Petra Monuments and Shobak Castle Highlights

Safety notice, 31 October 2026. Jordan is caught up in the 2026 regional conflict around Iran, and flights can be disrupted at short notice. At the time of writing, the US State Department puts the entire country at Level 3, “Reconsider Travel”, with Level 4, “Do Not Travel”, for the borders with Syria and Iraq and a few named areas. Its advice has also singled out Ma’an city and parts of Ma’an Governorate. The UK FCDO warns against travel only within 3 km of the Syrian border and carries no warning for Petra or Wadi Rum. Petra and Wadi Musa are open and running today, but the picture can shift quickly. Check the US travel advisory and the UK travel advice before booking and again before departure. Everything that follows is written for a normal trip.

Inside Petra

Petra sits in the Petra District of Ma’an Governorate, with its gate at Wadi Musa. A typical route runs in this order.

  1. The Siq. A gorge of 1.2 km links the Visitor Center to the city and acts as the valley’s drainage channel.
  2. Al-Khazneh, the Treasury. The carved face is a royal tomb about 40 m high and 25 m wide. You cannot go inside. Viewpoints facing it may ask for a small payment, and the proper high lookout is the Al-Khubtha trail, not the unmarked ledges.
  3. Street of Facades, Royal Tombs, Theatre, Colonnaded Street and Qasr al-Bint. These lie between the Treasury and the Basin area.
  4. Ad-Deir, the Monastery. The facade is roughly 45 to 50 m across, and 800 to 850 steps lead up to it.

Little Petra and Beidha

Eight kilometres north of Wadi Musa, Little Petra was a Nabataean suburb. Look for the Painted Biclinium, whose vine, bird and erote frescoes make it the best-preserved painted Nabataean room. Next to it, Beidha is a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B settlement of about 9,000 years. Neither charges an entry fee.

Shobak Castle

Baldwin I of Jerusalem founded the castle in 1115 and named it Montreal. Saladin and later the Mamluks held it. The ruin stands at about 1,300 m on a hilltop, and it appears on Jordan’s UNESCO Tentative List, not on the World Heritage List. Foreign visitors pay 1 JD.

Udhruh

Udhruh is a Roman legionary fortress of 4.7 ha, about 15 km east of Petra. Legio VI Ferrata rebuilt it in AD 303 to 304, and researchers at Leiden University rank it among the best preserved. It makes a quiet stop off the main tourist route.

Ma’an Palace and the Hejaz station

Ma’an city, 218 km from Amman, holds the Hejaz Railway station of 1904. Prince Abdullah, later King Abdullah I, reached Ma’an on 21 November 1920 and made the station building his National Defense Headquarters. Today it is called the Ma’an Palace and appears on the reverse of the 5-dinar note. Look at it from outside as part of a short daytime visit.

Sightseeing logistics

Petra opens around 6:00 to 6:30 AM and closes between 4 and 6 PM, depending on the season. The 1-day ticket is 50 JD for visitors who stay overnight in Jordan, and a 2-day ticket gives you time for both the Monastery and the Royal Tombs. Check the PDTRA site for current fees.

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